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An armload of Love-in-a-mist Delft Blue
An armload of Love-in-a-mist Delft Blue
A close up of Love-in-a-mist Delft Blue
A close up of Love-in-a-mist Delft Blue
Love-in-a-mist Delft Blue growing in the field
A bunch of Love-in-a-mist Delft Blue

Love-in-a-mist ‘Delft Blue’

Nigella papillosa

Features

  • Dryable
  • Easy to grow
  • Foliage & Filler
  • Medium producer
  • Suitable for containers

Description

While this plant looks quite fragile, it’s one of the hardiest early bloomers in the garden. Its brilliant ferny leaves and lacy, star-shaped flowers are framed by a delicate halo of fringed foliage. Grape-purple flowers are streaked with indigo and look like the swirls in Van Gogh’s painting The Starry Night. Its coloring and layers give it a delicate quality unusual in such a textural flower.

Details

Plant type: hardy annual
Height: 24 to 36 in
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 65 to 85 days
Plant spacing: 9 in
Pinch: not necessary

Seed Sowing & Growing Notes

Plants dislike being transplanted and do best when direct-seeded into the garden in the fall or early spring. Seed can be tricky to start indoors, so pop seeds into the freezer for 10 to 14 days before sowing to speed up germination.

Harvesting/Vase Life

Harvest flowers when they are three-quarters open, or harvest pods when formed. Fresh flowers have a vase life of 7 days; dried pods last indefinitely. Dry by hanging upside down in a warm, dark place for 2 to 3 weeks.

Details

Description

While this plant looks quite fragile, it’s one of the hardiest early bloomers in the garden. Its brilliant ferny leaves and lacy, star-shaped flowers are framed by a delicate halo of fringed foliage. Grape-purple flowers are streaked with indigo and look like the swirls in Van Gogh’s painting The Starry Night. Its coloring and layers give it a delicate quality unusual in such a textural flower.

Details

Plant type: hardy annual
Height: 24 to 36 in
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 65 to 85 days
Plant spacing: 9 in
Pinch: not necessary

Seed Sowing & Growing Notes

Plants dislike being transplanted and do best when direct-seeded into the garden in the fall or early spring. Seed can be tricky to start indoors, so pop seeds into the freezer for 10 to 14 days before sowing to speed up germination.

Harvesting/Vase Life

Harvest flowers when they are three-quarters open, or harvest pods when formed. Fresh flowers have a vase life of 7 days; dried pods last indefinitely. Dry by hanging upside down in a warm, dark place for 2 to 3 weeks.

Sources

How to Grow

How to Grow

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In our upcoming three-part video series, you’ll learn a simple step to double the number of blooms your plants produce, how to cut and care for your flowers for the longest vase life, and how to make mixed bouquets quickly and efficiently.